Modi Govt Refused To Provide Helicopters To Ferry CRPF Officials in Kashmir; Pulwama Attack Could Have Been Avoided: Report
According to an Asia Times report, the security officials were denied permission to use helicopters in Kashmir Valley by MHA.
The terrorist attack in Pulwama on Thursday, February 14 could have been avoided if the CRPF jawans were ferried using helicopters. The Modi government reportedly turned down the CRPF and BSF’s request to transport their troops by helicopters.
After the tragic incident, Asia Times reported that the BSF and CRPF officers posted in Kashmir Valley wanted helicopters to ferry jawans due to the weather condition in the area. The Ministry of Home Affairs, however, refused to give permission to the security forces.
Speaking to Asia Times, a senior security official said that travelling on the road was riskier and the attack would have been avoided if they had used helicopters instead of trucks. “Had helicopters been made available to troops then this could perhaps have been avoided. This is not the main cause and we do have a massive intelligence failure. But this could have probably saved lives,” he said.
The relevant document was shared by South Asia editor of Asia Times Saikat Datta on Twitter.
As reported day before yesterday in @asiatimesonline — BSF and CRPF were asking for helicopters to transport their troops. Government turned them down. (See document)
Link to full story here:https://t.co/CPJqhTLVqF pic.twitter.com/c7zqQi8JNA
— Saikat Datta (@saikatd) February 17, 2019
The attack on Thursday led to the death of around 40 CRPF officials.
Also read: CRPF Jawan’s Brother Recalls Last Talk Hours Before Pulwama Attack